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Gemini 5 Broke the Soviet Spaceflight Duration Record in 1965

Gemini 5 Broke the Soviet Spaceflight Duration Record in 1965

Gemini 5 marked a pivotal moment in American space exploration, aiming to double the U.S. spaceflight record to eight days, a duration considered n...

NASA Team Proposes Artificial Eclipse in Space to Discover Earth-like Exoplanets

NASA Team Proposes Artificial Eclipse in Space to Discover Earth-like Exoplanets

A NASA-led team is advancing a concept called the Hybrid Observatory for Earth-like Exoplanets (HOEE), which proposes creating an artificial eclipse in space to directly image exoplanets. The plan involves deploying a large, flower-shaped 'starshade,' approximately 100 meters across, 175,000 kilometers from Earth. This starshade would precisely align with ground-based telescopes, blocking the intense light from distant stars. By doing so, it would allow the faint light from orbiting exoplanets, which are typically a billion times dimmer than their host stars, to be detected. The primary goal is to identify rocky, Earth-sized planets within the habitable zones of other star systems. This approach aims to enhance existing observatories rather than building entirely new, multi-billion dollar space telescopes, with the starshade itself estimated to cost around one billion dollars.

Gemini 5 Pulled Off the First Precision Maneuver in Spaceflight

Gemini 5 Pulled Off the First Precision Maneuver in Spaceflight

Gemini 5 was a crucial mission in NASA's Project Gemini, designed not only to test human endurance in space but also to develop the sophisticated o...

NASA Opens New Vertical Wind Tunnel at Langley Research Center, Enhancing Aerospace Testing Capabilities

NASA Opens New Vertical Wind Tunnel at Langley Research Center, Enhancing Aerospace Testing Capabilities

NASA has inaugurated its first major new wind tunnel in over 40 years, the Flight Dynamics Research Facility (FDRF), at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This facility replaces two older Langley tunnels, the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel and the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel, which had been in operation since 1941 and 1939, respectively. The FDRF features a 20-foot-wide test chamber where four 750-horsepower motors drive fans to push air upwards at speeds up to 117 mph. This vertical airflow allows engineers to test models of aircraft and spacecraft in free-flight conditions, simulating stalls, spins, and atmospheric entry without physical restraints. The facility integrates major test rigs, instruments, and data systems from its predecessors, aiming to reduce costs and development time. This new wind tunnel is designed to provide a physical environment for testing that complements computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, offering real-world data on how air interacts with objects.

MIT Researchers Propose High-Orbit Laser Satellites for Lunar Navigation

MIT Researchers Propose High-Orbit Laser Satellites for Lunar Navigation

Researchers at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory are proposing a new deep-space navigational system called LIght High-Orbit Utility Signal Emitter (LightHOUSE) to address the growing infrastructure complications in cislunar space. The current Deep Space Network (DSN), developed in the 1950s, is becoming overwhelmed by the increasing number of missions, leading to hours-long delays in obtaining precise orbital locations for spacecraft. LightHOUSE would involve launching a fleet of three satellites into an orbit approximately 1.6 million kilometers above Earth's surface, significantly farther than the Earth-Moon distance. This system aims to provide a GPS-like navigation capability for lunar and deep-space missions, improving efficiency and precision compared to the Earth-bound DSN.

National Space Society Endorses U.S. Space Academy Proposal to Cultivate Future Space Workforce

National Space Society Endorses U.S. Space Academy Proposal to Cultivate Future Space Workforce

The National Space Society (NSS) has publicly supported the U.S. Administration's proposal to establish a United States Space Academy. This NASA-led institution aims to train the next generation of astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, and civil servants for careers in the space sector. The NSS, a non-partisan organization focused on space exploration, development, and settlement, views this academy as a crucial investment in the human capital required for future space endeavors. Grant Henriksen, Chair of the NSS Policy Committee, emphasized that a Space Academy is essential for building the workforce needed to support lunar development, Mars exploration, commercial space stations, in-space servicing, planetary defense, and the broader space economy. The NSS has consistently advocated for stronger STEM pathways and a robust aerospace talent pipeline, aligning with the academy's goal of developing future space leaders and increasing human participation in space activities. The organiz...

SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas

SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas

SpaceX has pulled off its biggest salvage operation yet, recovering its most recently launched Starship from the Indian Ocean

NASA's Voyager 1 Probe Carried Censored Image of Human Reproduction

NASA's Voyager 1 Probe Carried Censored Image of Human Reproduction

In 1977, NASA's Voyager 1 probe, now venturing into interstellar space, carried a Golden Record intended to communicate humanity's story to potential extraterrestrial civilizations. This record, curated by astronomer Carl Sagan, included 116 images, sounds, music, and greetings. Among the images considered, a photograph depicting a naked man and a naked pregnant woman was initially selected to illustrate human reproduction. However, at the last moment before launch, NASA prohibited this image. This decision was influenced by previous controversies surrounding naked human silhouettes on the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes. As a compromise, a stylized outline of a couple with a fetus was used instead of the photograph, reflecting a tension between scientific accuracy and societal modesty.

A rare all-female spacewalk happens today. Here's how to watch live

A rare all-female spacewalk happens today. Here's how to watch live

NASA's Jessica Meir and the ESA's Sophie Adenot will take part in just the sixth-ever spacewalk outside the ISS exclusively featuring women.

Rocket Lab Seeks Senior Systems Engineer for Space Systems Division in Long Beach, CA

Rocket Lab Seeks Senior Systems Engineer for Space Systems Division in Long Beach, CA

Rocket Lab Seeks Senior Systems Engineer for Space Systems Division in Long Beach, CA

Firefly Aerospace to Deploy Nuclear-Powered Heater on Lunar Blue Ghost Lander Mission

Firefly Aerospace to Deploy Nuclear-Powered Heater on Lunar Blue Ghost Lander Mission

Firefly Aerospace is planning a Lunar Blue Ghost lander mission, slated for as early as 2028, which will feature a nuclear-powered heater built by Zeno Power Systems. This heater, powered by americium-241, is designed to demonstrate radioisotope capabilities in the extreme temperatures of the lunar environment. The primary goal is to enable the lander to survive the lunar night, which lasts approximately 14 Earth days. This mission is a key component of Firefly’s broader efforts to support long-duration surface operations, which are essential for NASA’s Moon Base initiative and the burgeoning lunar economy. Zeno Power Systems has completed the final design review for its Harmonia system, reporting that it delivered 3.5 times the originally specified power in its design performance. The company is now moving into fabrication, with terrestrial demonstrations and eventual lunar qualification planned.

NASA launches powerful Roman Space Telescope, a spy satellite turned to the stars

NASA launches powerful Roman Space Telescope, a spy satellite turned to the stars

By Joey Roulette and Will Dunham CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Aug 30 (Reuters) - NASA began a new mission to probe some of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics and cosmology with the launch on Sunday of the U.S. space agency's new flagship astronomical observatory, a repurposed spy satellite that will